A PDQ poll found most people saying fall smells like leaves, musty, crisp, the sweet smell of death of all the bugs (!!!). To me it smells like apples in every way. Apples and apple trees, sweet and aromatic, pressed apples, and most of all the smell of freshly pressed fermenting apples at White Winter Winery in the form of hard cider and cyser, a mead made from cider and honey. I love that smell!

Our Cellar Rats Kari and Sara have been doing a great job pulling it all in from the 450 gallon tank making multiple runs several times a day, several days a week from Erickson’s Orchard in Bayfield, Wisconsin. Always checking brix levels and smells of the the fermenting must. The smell of fermentation is really important to the diagnosis of how the fermentation is progressing. A luscious fruity smell is what we always work towards, sometimes we detect notes of H2S or hydrogen sulfide which can indicate a problem with fermentation. If we get H2S we start our detective process. Did we remember to add the correct nutrients? Use the best yeast for cider? Temps ok? etc., etc..? Lots to look for and much of it preventative.

Fortunately those preventative measures are usually enough to stop problems from occurring.  In the end we end up with fall smelling more delicious then atrocious and tasting absolutely stupendous in a semi-dry hard cider or semi-sweet cyser mead at White Winter Winery, in Iron River, Wisconsin, come on out!